Think back nearly twelve months. Sadiq Khan stood at the podium, the mayoral election in full swing, making promises to Londoners. With a Labour government on the horizon, he painted a vision of a safer, stronger capital, bolstered by more police, better resources, and renewed public trust.
It was a convenient political narrative at the time. Any failings of his tenure, any shortcomings in policing, crime prevention, or public safety, were squarely blamed on the Conservative government in Westminster. The reason he couldn’t deliver? The Tories, of course.
Then came election night. After dancing across the Millennium Bridge in a fluorescent green suit, triumphant in his re-election, he stood arm in arm with the new Labour Prime Minister, the so-called winds of change now at his back.
And yet, what has actually changed?
Policing promises in tatters
Throughout the election campaign, crime and policing were at the heart of the debate. Khan, alongside then Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, pledged thousands more police officers, promising that a “new golden age” of policing was within reach.
Fast forward a year, and those pledges now seem like distant echoes of a forgotten campaign. Instead of a revitalised police force, London is witnessing the largest cuts to the Met Police in recent history.
This week, it emerged that the Met Police plans to axe 1,700 civilian staff due to a £260 million funding shortfall.
Khan, who has presided over eight years of declining police numbers, station closures, and rising violent crime, now finds himself in charge of a force that is being gutted from within.
Is this really the “winds of a Labour government” he promised?
Far from being strengthened, London is now spiralling in a storm of rising crime, while its Mayor appears to hope that no one notices.
A £260 million crisis, but no fight from Khan
A funding gap of £260 million is unprecedented—especially so soon after Khan’s re-election on a platform of security and stability.
And yet, instead of rallying for London’s fair share of police funding, Khan has remained silent.
It is civilian staff—the call handlers, forensic analysts, domestic violence officers, and case workers—who are now being sacrificed. These are the very people who keep the Met running, ensuring police officers remain on the streets rather than stuck behind desks.
With fewer civilian workers, more officers will be pulled from frontline duties to handle paperwork, investigations, and admin. More admin means less policing.
Khan should be fighting tooth and nail to prevent this. Instead, his blind loyalty to Labour has left him paralysed, unwilling to challenge his own party, even as it abandons London’s security.
Crime is rising, confidence is falling
Meanwhile, crime statistics paint a bleak picture.
- Knife crime is on the rise.
- Theft and burglaries are up.
- Assaults and violent crimes continue to surge.
Public confidence in the Met Police is at an all-time low, battered by repeat scandals and institutional failings.
If there was one thing Khan needed to deliver on, it was rebuilding trust in the Met and making London safer.
Instead, he has failed on both counts.
Where is the Mayor who was once so eager to stand in front of the cameras, demanding funding for the city? Why is he silent now, when London’s safety is on the line?
No more excuses – Labour is in power
During his election campaign, Khan claimed that his hands were tied by the Conservatives in Westminster.
But that excuse no longer holds.
Labour is in power now. Khan got what he wanted.
So why has the promised funding not materialised? Why is the Met still facing devastating cuts?
If the government can find billions for foreign aid, why is it unable to properly fund the police force of the UK’s capital city?
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A mayor who prefers spin over substance
The truth is simple: Khan never had a real plan.
As ever, he had a catchy slogan, a press release, and a scapegoat. He was safe in the knowledge that he could always blame someone else.
But now, there is no one left to blame.
London needs a Mayor who will stand up to his own party, not one who remains silent while the city suffers.
A Mayor who will fight for London’s safety over political loyalty.
One who will prioritise action over optics.
But instead, Khan remains passive, watching as London’s police force is dismantled, while crime continues to rise.
A leader with no direction
Sadiq Khan has always preferred the optics of leadership over the obligations of leading.
The promised “winds of change” have disappeared.
Now, with Labour in government, London is drifting, under a Mayor who has no sense of direction—and nobody left to blame but himself.
Unless he finds his backbone—and fast—London will continue to suffer.
